Haze continues to shroud central, east China

BEIJING, Jan. 18 (Xinhua) -- Most cities in central and east China will remain hazy Saturday as no cold front is in sight to help disperse the fog, the national observatory forecast.

The National Meteorological Center (NMC) maintained the yellow alert for heavy fog as the provinces of Hebei, Shandong, Henan, Jiangsu, Anhui, Sichuan, as well as the cities of Beijing and Tianjin, will be enveloped , with visibility in some regions reduced to less than 500 meters.

Since the beginning of the winter, large parts of China have seen smoggy weather. The Ministry of Environmental Protection blamed unfavorable weather patterns, vehicle exhaust and coal burning for winter heating for the problems.

The weather condition will further test China's already stressed transport system as some 3.62 billion passenger trips are expected during "Chunyun", the 40-day travel period around the Chinese New Year, or Spring Festival, which falls on Jan. 31.

BEIJING, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- Smoggy weather has become a lingering problem in China and the country faces a tough battle in its fight against serious air pollution, especially the northern parts, analysts argue. Full story